Class Idea Help: Charisma!

[GutterFace]

Playground!

Our DM is starting a side campaign for us while one of our friends in the main game is out of the country for 2 months.

he is keeping it simple, starting at level 3 probably going to level 8(ish). as long as it is 3.5 it is legal. no PrC's and no Dragon Mags.

i always try and optimize for brutal combat or casting bombs or wild shenanigans.

this time i want to be something that doesn't require a lot of micro managing. i want to be party face. therefore i want a good Charisma based class.

Since we dont overlap with past classes here is what is off the table for me. yikes.

Warlock
Bard
DFA
Totemist
Factotum
Druid
Wizard/Sorcerer
Duskblade

so can someone recommend a good Charisma based class that is not a suck pod like the Marshal? also im not super keen on Rogue.

im picky. sorry.

[Orran]

Beguiler seems to suit your needs. It's an enchantment/illusion based full caster with 6+Int skills per level. From PHB2 I think.

[Kazyan]

There's Binder, but it requires all of the micromanaging....hmm. There's the Soulborn, except that it's a suck pod. Shujenga is a Cha-based divine caster, but maybe that's not what you're looking for.

Crusader?

[GutterFace]

can Shenguja transfer out his spells for spontaneous cure/inflict as a Cleric can? or is that Cleric only?

[Keld Denar]

That's for clerics only, generally. There is a feat in Complete Divine that allows other casters like druids and archivists to do it, so you could take that.

[LTwerewolf]

There's also the favored soul.

[Diovid]

Changeling Rogue (Races of Eberron)? Urban Ranger (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070228a)? Zhentarim (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20060327a) Thug (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#fighterVariantThug) Fighter? Half-Elf Fighter (Races of Destiny)?

[Urpriest]

Wilder is Cha-based, though I don't know how good they are at being a party face.

The Succubus monster class would be an interesting choice...it's fairly good in the levels mentioned, especially at being a party face. There won't be a whole lot else you can do, though, so it takes some creativity. Also, be aware that it needs some adjustments since Savage Species is 3.0.

[Psyren]

Shugenja is pretty easy to play. Cha-based spontaneous casting, healing, and they get Diplomacy.

[GutterFace]

ha, excellent point...i can take a monster/template for the levels and rolld something funny, like the Succubus. interesting

[Feralventas]

Battle Dancer1 into Paladin of Freedom 2 into either Wilder, Sorcerer, or Favored Soul for a hell of a face/gish.

Same Combo into Binder makes for a bluffing master, and you can bind Nabarious for more skills to put into things like Diplomacy, Sense Motive, and Intimidate.

Seconding the vote for Crusader.

Expert NPC Class; pick all of the charisma based skills you can after picking up Iaijutsu and UMD. Take a dip in Warblade or the Martial Study Feat for Saphire Nightmare Blade so that you can make your targets flat-footed against your Iaijutsu attacks.

[GutterFace]

i love Iaijutsu.....except you can really only do it once. re-sheathing and redrawing your weapon all the time will burn another feat.

hmmmm this is proving more difficult than i thought. gah. i hate not re-using classes ive done before :(

[Feralventas]

Quick Draw and Gnomish Quick-Razors?

[Loki_42]

hmmmm this is proving more difficult than i thought. gah. i hate not re-using classes ive done before :(

Then don't do it? I can understand not doing the exact same character again, but not using the class at all, not even for multiclassing? That just seems extreme and unnecessary. I'd talk to the rest of your group, and see if you can't use levels in classes you've played before, assuming you build it differently.

[GutterFace]

Im still amped about Beguiler. ill have to give it a spin

[Shinovar]

Battle Dancer1 into Paladin of Freedom 2 into either Wilder, Sorcerer, or Favored Soul for a hell of a face/gish.
.

If you go into sorcerer, you should also take a level of monk with the Ascetic Mage feat. You get Char to AC again, as well as an additional +1.

[Wise Green Bean]

Paladin has diplomacy as a class skill(though you'll be lucky getting enough INT to afford it.

Artificer also badly needs CHA at low levels, since it's primary mechanic surrounds UMD. A bit more dependent on INT, though.

Knight is CHA based, without so much of the paladin's MAD. But for the life of me, I can't remember if they get diplomacy or not.

[Person_Man]

Incarnum is great for this at low levels as it can grant a +6 or +8 bonus to various Skills.

Silvertongue Mask (Incarnate): Diplomacy and Bluff.
Truthseeker Googles (Incarnate): Search, Sense Motive, Gather Information.
Charming Veil bound to Crown (Incarnate 2): Read Thoughts at will, bonus to Sense Motive.
Brass Mane or Fearsome Mask (Totemist): Intimidate.
Unicorn Horn: Wild Empathy and Move Silently. (Wild Empathy can be very handy vs animals and magical beasts).
Shedu Crown bound to Crown (Totemist 4): Telepathy.


The down side is that they don't have social Skills as class Skills. But you can always make your first level Rogue (for Skills and Sneak Attack, for Staggering Strike) or Sorcerer (for Skills and a Familiar, for Share Soulmeld). And Ironsoul Forgemaster (one of the better PrC) does get Diplomacy and Sense Motive as class Skills.

[GutterFace]

Everyone has been amazing, thank you all.

there is some extra awesome things to consider.

I think....i am going to try my hand at Marshal. Ill end up stacking heavy on Auras (including Draconic), and Intimidate the face off of things. (Never Outnumbered)

Feint, Intimidate, Buff, Party face.....this should be a fun campaign :)

[Telonius]

Cha-focused, party face, lots of combat...

How about:

Human Dragonfire Adept1/Bard7

1 Dragontouched(bonus), Draconic Heritage (Battle Dragon), (Open)
3 Dragonfire Inspiration
6 Melodic Casting
7 Song of the Heart

Dragonfire Adept is a base class from Dragon Magic; Dragontouched and Draconic Heritage are feats from the same. Battle Dragon is from Draconomicon. For your Draconic Invocation, take Beguiling Influence - it's basically the same thing as the Warlock's, for a big bonus to your social skills. DFI will give your allies bonus sonic damage to attacks.

EDIT: Misread the OP; Bard is off the table... well, how about a straight-up Dragonfire Adept? Charisma definitely helps, and it's more dragon-y themed than Warlock, so might not be a complete overlap.

[Diovid]

Everyone has been amazing, thank you all.

there is some extra awesome things to consider.

I think....i am going to try my hand at Marshal. Ill end up stacking heavy on Auras (including Draconic), and Intimidate the face off of things. (Never Outnumbered)

Feint, Intimidate, Buff, Party face.....this should be a fun campaign :)
It could be a nice challenge, do not that most people think the class has little to offer above level 4 (or even 2).

Have a Handbook: http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=3475.0

It isn't mentioned so clearly in the guide but Desert Half-Orc with a dip in the Half-Orc Paragon (if allowed) and with the Menacing Demeanor feat is not a bad option.

Have another handbook: http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=3809.0